Article snippet: Army Col. Owen G. Ray, commander of 1st Group said: Ard’s father Bruce, former mayor of Ammon, Idaho, said in a statement on Saturday, posted on State Rep. Rob Furniss’s Facebook page: Friends also posted messages of support to the Ard family on Facebook. Marc Neilsen wrote on Facebook: Christie Mason Ricks, a friend of Ard’s oldest sister, posted on Facebook: Charlie Mike’s Pub in Fayetteville, North Carolina is planning to hold a memorial for Ard on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.: Ard was the 15th United States service member killed in Afghanistan this year from a hostile action. His death comes as the Trump administration is attempting to wind down the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan and end the 18-year war. Ard enlisted in the Army in 2011 as a Special Forces candidate and became a Green Beret in 2015. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington as a Special Forces Communications Sergeant and Joint Terminal Attack Controller. This was Ard’s second deployment to Afghanistan, in support of the mission to train Afghan forces. He also deployed multiple times for exercises in Indonesia. His awards and decorations included the Bronze Star Medal, Army Achievement Medal; Army Good Conduct Medal (second award); National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal (Campaign Star); Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (third award); Army Service ... Link to the full article to read more